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Fluid Power Scholars Program

Program Overview

The Fluid Power Scholars Program is a collaborative effort between the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) and companies in the fluid power industry who are corporate members of the Center. This summer program identifies and connects the very best undergraduate engineering students across the United States to the fluid power industry with the purpose of training the next generation of fluid power leaders.

It is a highly competitive program, open to undergraduates who have successfully completed at least two years in an accredited engineering program in the United States. The Fluid Power Scholars program begins with an intensive three-day instructional program in fluid power, taught at the Fluid Power Institute at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), and follows with internships in the fluid power industry.

Announcing the 2010 Fluid Power Scholars and Company Sponsors

The CCEFP is proud to announce the companies who are sponsoring the eight 2010 Fluid Power Scholars and the universities where the scholars attend:

  • Caterpillar - Montana State University
  • John Deere - University of Michigan
  • Deltrol Fluid Products - Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Enfield Technologies - University of Minnesota
  • Parker Hannifin Corp. - Case Western Reserve University
  • Sun Hydraulics - University of South Florida
  • Tennant Corporation - University of Minnesota 

The 2011 Fluid Power Scholars Program

Based on the many positive responses from students and industry to the 2010 Fluid Power Scholars Program, a similar program will be put in place by the CCEFP in 2011. Preliminary plans follow.
 
Company Hosts: As a host company in the Fluid Power Scholars program, a CCEFP member company agrees to take on a Fluid Power Scholar, providing an engineering-related internship for the student in one of its facilities for 9-10 weeks during the summer of 2011. In addition, the host company will pay travel and living expenses associated with the three-day fluid power instructional program at MSOE. (The CCEFP will cover the instructional costs at MSOE.) In the fall of 2010, sponsoring companies will prepare descriptions of their internship opportunities for posting at the CCEFP website. These descriptions will be available for students to review during the application process.
 
Student Scholars: Students accepted as a Fluid Power Scholar for the summer of 2011 agree to spend three days in early June at MSOE participating in an intensive short course on fluid power. The short-course will cover a range of topics such as identifying features of hydraulic and pneumatic systems; applying industry standards to hydraulic and schematic systems; analyzing circuits from a schematic drawing; understanding the operation and applications of valves, cylinders, pumps, and motors; identifying chemical and physical properties of fluids, etc. This course will also include work in a component and hydraulic systems laboratory.  Following this course, scholars agree to be placed at any of the host companies for a nine-ten week paid engineering internship. Costs associated with travel to and from Milwaukee, lodging there and the subsequent internship will be covered by the Scholar's host company. The CCEFP will cover instructional costs.
 
The Selection Process: The CCEFP is responsible for coordinating the Fluid Power Scholars Program, recruiting outstanding undergraduates for the application pool and identifying host companies. Host companies are also invited to participate in the recruitment process. Applicants will come from the CCEFP's seven universities (University of Minnesota, Georgia Tech, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, Vanderbilt University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and North Carolina A & T University)  as well as from other leading engineering universities across the country. The selection and matching process will be completed in time so that scholar award announcements can be made on or near March 15.
 
Program Requirements and the Student Application Process: The Fluid Power Scholars Program is open to students who have successfully completed at least two years in an ABET-accredited engineering degree program in the United States and who are legally authorized to work in the United States. Students should expect to spend 10-11 weeks as a participant in this program. The fluid power short course at MSOE will be held in early June, 2011. Summer-long internships in sponsoring companies will follow. The student application process will begin in mid-November when an on-line application form will be posted at the CCEFP website. In addition to the application, students will be asked to provide a resume, statement of purpose, grade transcript, and two letters of reference.
 
Additional information:
Alyssa A. Burger
Education Outreach Director
Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power
University of Minnesota
111 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
e-mail: aburger@me.umn.edu